Sunday 21 May 2017 13:28, UK
Arsene Wenger has said Arsenal can cope financially without Champions League football, but admits he is more fearful than ever the club will miss out this year.
Arsenal go into their final league game of the season on Sunday in fifth, knowing even a victory at home to Everton may not be enough to usurp Manchester City or Liverpool, both of whom have Champions League qualification in their own hands.
Protests have been ongoing from sections of supporters who want to see Wenger replaced in the summer, with marches and boycotts taking place in recent weeks.
Minority shareholder Alisher Usmanov has also reportedly made a £1billion bid to purchase Stan Kroenke's 67 per cent of the club, while Wenger has yet to reveal whether he will remain at the club and sign a new contract.
But the Frenchman insists failing to qualify for Europe's top club competition next season won't have a disastrous financial effect for the club.
"It [the top four] has not the financial weight that it had before, for sure, because television money has gone up (in the Premier League)," Wenger said.
"Financially you don't suffer anymore. I was sitting here during the period when we had to pay the stadium back and the income of the Champions League was absolutely vital.
"On the financial point we are not in trouble. It's more the fact that we want to play in the best competition. Financially, no, it's not a disaster."
For the first time since 2006, Arsenal head into the final weekend of the campaign as outsiders to finish in the top four, when 11 years ago a sickness bug hit the Spurs squad who were then beaten at West Ham.
Wenger delivered again then, but even if he had not, another bite of the cherry would come later as they faced Barcelona in the Champions League final. No such chances exist this time around.
"In 2006, you are playing Barcelona in the final and you still thought you had a chance to win the Champions League and to be in the Champions League again," said Wenger.
"So the fear not to be in it was less big. This time, we are less likely to be in it but we still can manage it only by focusing on what we think is important, which is to win the game.
"We want to play in the best competition and that's why we want to be in the Champions League. And we are very close as well.
"We are one point away. We have a possibility to do it and if it's a small one we have to be professional and do it to the end."
